Embrace the art of self-care and empower your journey as a mental health professional with our innovative continuing education program. This course delves deep into the intricate balance of nurturing the self, cultivating a holistic understanding of mind, body, and spirit, and comprehending the profound implications of stress, fatigue, and trauma within the mental health field. Mental health professionals will be equipped with tools to help not only themselves but also the clients they serve.

What You’ll Gain:

Ethical Self-Care: Explore the ethical dimensions of self-care, recognizing its vital role in promoting sustainable well-being for both you and your clients.

Stress Management Techniques: Identify a spectrum of effective stress management approaches and practical skills to enhance your resilience and overall performance.

The Complete Toolkit: Equip yourself with a comprehensive array of tools and techniques for seamlessly integrating self-care practices into your professional life, fostering a positive impact on you and the clients you serve.

Hands-On Learning:

Through interactive, experiential research-based activities, you'll directly engage in self-care practices. By the end of the program, you will be able to identify a personalized wellness toolbox and self-care plan based on the latest research that supports your mental health and ensures you're at your best when guiding your clients toward their well-being.

Join us in this transformative journey towards mastering self-care in mental health practice. Elevate your effectiveness as a counselor or therapist and build a resilient foundation for yourself and those you serve. Our goal is to help you cultivate rhythms of health that help you feel at your best for your personal and professional life, enjoy the work you do, and provide the best possible care to those that you serve.

Learning Objectives:

1. Appreciating Self-Care: Recognize and internalize the significance of self-care as an integral aspect of maintaining personal and professional well-being in the field of mental health.

2. Ethical Awareness: Identify and understand the ethical responsibilities tied to self-care, exploring the ethical codes and guidelines relevant to mental health professionals, and ensuring a commitment to ethical practice. Review cases of those who allowed their own care to lapse resulting in board complaints and legal action.

3. Comprehensive Self-Care: Distinguish and define the five essential dimensions of self-care: mental, emotional, physical, spiritual, and relational, comprehending how each contributes to overall well-being.

4. Navigating Stress, Fatigue, and Trauma: Define and understand the role of compassion fatigue. Recognize the critical role of self-care in effectively managing and mitigating the impact of stress, fatigue, and trauma within the mental health profession. Discover how your own personal life or past impacts your professional judgment. Take an honest look at what populations are a best fit for you during this season. .

5. Creating a Personal Self-Care Plan: Investigate at least one established model of a self-care plan and formulate a personalized self-care plan that encapsulates the five dimensions of self-care. Select one area that is lacking the most and create a baby step plan to support this area.

6. Emotional Health Practices: Explore and adopt at least three evidence-based practices that bolster emotional well-being, equipping mental health professionals with actionable tools for self-care and emotional resilience.

By mastering these learning objectives, participants will emerge from the program equipped with the knowledge, skills, and ethical awareness necessary to integrate self-care effectively into their professional lives, thus enhancing their personal well-being and ability to support clients on their mental health journeys.

Dates: September 12-15, 2024
Location: RIver Mountain, Everett, PA

CE Credit Approvals:
7.5 hours of CE credit, provided by the Maryland Board of Professional Counselors & Therapists Approved Continuing Education program. 

Meet Alena Alsruhe, a Licensed Counselor, accomplished writer, and seasoned fitness & strength coach. Alena adopts a Biblically centered holistic counseling approach, recognizing the profound connection between heart, mind, body, soul, and spirit. Alena specializes in facilitating healing from the past, embracing the present, and fostering strength and hope for the future. Alena seamlessly integrates her extensive experience in psychology, neuroscience, and fitness coaching to provide women with effective and practical tools for personal growth. 

Mental Health Expertise:
With 12 years in the mental health profession and eight years in private practice, Alena is a licensed therapist in both Colorado and Maryland. Her research focus spans neuroscience, brain health, trauma, boundaries, and attachment. Certified as a brain health professional with the Amen Clinics and an EMDR (eye movement desensitization and reprocessing) trauma specialist through EMDR International Association, Alena is committed to providing comprehensive and effective mental health support. 

Partnerships and Contributions:
Alena collaborates with New Life Ministries as a counselor, writer, and video contributor. Her role as a facilitator at conferences such as Restore, Emotional Freedom, Lose it for Life, and Intimacy in Marriage underscores her dedication to the well-being of individuals and couples. 

Fitness and Strength Coaching:
Boasting 18 years of strength training experience, Alena extends her expertise to individuals seeking to integrate exercise and strength building into their health routines. She addresses weight loss, emotional eating recovery, and chronic health issues with a holistic approach that includes nutrition and exercise. 

Meet Brittany Edie, the founder of Graceful Balance Wellness, a seasoned mental health counselor with a profound commitment to fostering healing and well-being. Graduating with a master's in mental health counseling in 2009 and holding licenses in both Maryland and Pennsylvania, Brittany brings a wealth of expertise to her practice. She serves as an approved supervisor for LGPC therapists in Maryland, emphasizing her dedication to mentoring and supporting the next generation of counseling professionals.

Mental Health Expertise:
Brittany's journey as a therapist led her to become EMDR Trained through EMDRIA, equipping her with specialized skills to guide individuals through the process of healing from difficult life experiences. Her passion for incorporating nature into the therapeutic process led her to become a Certified Nature-Informed Therapist, providing a unique and holistic approach to mental health. Brittany has taken numerous courses on the mind-body connection, fueling her dedication to a holistic and integrated approach in mental health therapy.

The Power of Movement
As a Yoga Alliance Yoga Teacher and a Certified Trauma-Informed Yoga Instructor, Brittany recognizes the transformative power of movement, especially when intertwined with faith. She believes in creating a safe and nurturing space where individuals can explore the healing potential of movement, contributing to the harmony of mind and body.

Beyond her counseling credentials, Brittany's holistic approach integrates mental and physical well-being, making her an invaluable resource for those seeking balance and restoration. She embraces a comprehensive and compassionate approach to wellness and her commitment is to guide individuals on a journey towards holistic healing.